My Photos: France -- Paris -- Sainte-Chapelle

King Louis IX had Sainte-Chapelle built beginning in 1242, to house the relics of the Passion of Christ which he had purchased from Baldwin II of Constantinople. The crown of thorns, and a fragment of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, were housed here, along with other important Christian relics.

Louis died in a battle during the siege of Tunis during the Eighth Crusade, in 1270. He was canonized as a saint in 1300.